"I thought All-Stars needed Super Mario World."

Super Mario All-Stars:Super Mario All-Stars is a major combination of Nintendo's first Mario games: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and the (originally) Japan-only game Super Mario: Lost Levels. All of these were originally on the NES, but, with the move to the SNES, came this game. With the higher amount of data, Nintendo realized that with just one game, they had a lot more unused data. The added another hit and another hit, until - BOOM! - this happened. The others, individually, were great, mainly Super Mario Bros. 3, as it sold more than 16 million copies, not including the system bonuses. That is the most selling game, well, back in 2007, it was. This game, though, combined all four to create a much better game, and an equally great hit worldwide.

After the release of this game, Nintendo released more games. Super Mario World and Super Mario RPG were released on the SNES. On the movement to the Nintendo 64, Super Smash Bros. and Super Mario 64 were put out. Then, the handheld movement. The Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance were all released. Some of their games include a Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island remake, as well as Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Then, the focus was on the GameCube. Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mario Party, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Super Mario Sunshine were released. Nintendo also got back into RPGs with Paper Mario. The Nintendo DS was next. Super Mario 64 DS, New Super Mario Bros., and Mario & Luigi: Partners in time were released. And then, the Nintendo Wii... Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii were released. Now, Nintendo is still making Mario, as well as other games, for the latter two systems. Just back around October, another was released. More than two decades later and Nintendo is still going strong, as should be expected. Kudos to them for lasting this long!

Now, then, I think I should be getting on to this review. We aren't here about consoles; we are here for Super Mario All-Stars, right?

All four of these games are virtually the same. The basic aspect is that it is a side-scroller in all four. The screen goes with you as you move across the stage, sometimes not allowing backwards movement. You are also timed, like most side-scrollers. The general time is about 300 ~ 500 in-game seconds. I say "in-game" because that the clock doesn't match the time in the real world. You basically have to get to the end in that time without dying or you will die nevertheless. You essentially go in and either come out in one piece, or in a body bag.

However, there is something different in Super Mario Bros. 3. You can choose the level, unlike in the other three. This aspect became more popular in later games. However, the gameplay is still the same. It remains a side-scroller. There are also more features. With the level choice becomes extra things, such as item houses, Hammer Bro. levels, and ship levels. You can use warp pipes to teleport to other areas on the map after you save so you don't have to go all of the way through it again after nearly finishing the last level.

All of these games are divided into eight worlds, with all except Super Mario Bros. 3, with four levels each. At the end of each world, you fight a boss that gets stronger the more it is fought. What I mean is, World 8-4 is unbelievably hard. Super Mario Bros. 3, though, has varying numbers of levels. World 1 has six levels, while World 6 has ten. However, at each world's end is a boss. Just like Super Mario Bros. 2, the bosses are different depending on which world you are in.

But, still, all of these are virtually the same. There are merely a few differences between the four. It may get rather repetitive, but it is still great.

Each of these games have different stories from my point of view. I'll start by going over what seems to be the first game's story. Super Mario Bros.:Princess Peach has been kidnapped by the evil king of the Koopas, Bowser. Mario and his brother Luigi race to save her. Throughout this long trip, they go through eight diverse areas. At the end, they save her.

Super Mario Bros. 2: While having a dream, Mario sees a door. The next day is a picnic. While on the picnic, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad find that door Mario saw. It leads to a world called Subcon. They go through seven diverse areas for a final battle to save the area.

Super Mario Bros. 3: Not again! Peach has, yet again, been kidnapped by Bowser. Once more, the Mario Bros. go a long and dangerous quest against Bowser's strengthened army of Koopas and Goombas. Through another eight diverse worlds, from desert to glacier, Mario and Luigi will try to save Peach again.

Super Mario Lost Levels: Peach, again, is kidnapped and the Mario Bros. must save her. The areas look similar to their first journey, so the plumbers will save her throughout the eight world journey.

All of these four games are in the second dimension, meaning that they are flat. The real world as we know it is three dimensional. Oldies like this are usually two dimensional. Most games like this are side-scrollers. These games have rather decent graphics. The detail is okay. The graphics aren't too blocky or jumpy. They may seem a bit blocky, but you'll get used to it. Other than that slight blockiness, it is just fine for most games. By today's standards, half-decent.

The sound is rather boring. The sound that is main when you or an enemy dies is practically the same. Most levels have similar music. Back when my TV's audio didn't work, it was actually good, because I could turn on my radio. Now, sure, it is somewhat clear, but the music gets repetitive and mundane at times. It is just as well to use the MP3 or portable radio you have. However, if the sound effects weren't boring, I would say that they are okay.

This game is a side-scroller, so there are no side-quests. All of these games take just a few days each to complete, though you can beat them in just a few hours each. This game doesn't last one round in a week. However, they are good for replaying, as the game cannot be very much the same several times in a row. You can also attempt the highest score possible for a game, so go for it!

Super Mario World:Super Mario World another side-scrolling game straight from Nintendo. Back then, this game was a real big hit, and so was its remake. Back in the 1980s, Nintendo starting making some arcade games, namely Donkey Kong and Jumpman. Later, they moved Jumpman, or Mario, as you know him today, to their new system, the NES. They made several games for it, such as Super Mario Bros. They kept going until the NES was becoming old. The SNES was then released. Games such as Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario RPG were released. Also released was the Super Mario World series: Super Mario World and then Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Later, though, even the SNES became obsolete, as all consoles eventually do. Nintendo therefore released the Nintendo 64. Super Mario 64, Super Smash Bros., and Mario Party are some of the games released for this console. Later, the GameCube was released. Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Mario Sunshine, among others, were released for this console. The Nintendo Wii was the next home console to be released. Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Mario Galaxy are some of the more well-known games for this. However, as you know, Nintendo worked on handhelds, too.

Their first handhelds were the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. I don't remember if any Mario games were released for these. However, there are some Mario games for the next consoles, the Game Boy Advance, the Game Boy Advance SP, and Game Boy Micro, all of which play Game Boy Advance games. Some NES and SNES games were remade and put onto these more accessible systems. Super Mario World got its remake as Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. Yoshi's Island got its remake as Super Mario Advance 3: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3 also were remade. Other originals include Super Mario RPG's sequel, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and Mario Kart. Nintendo also released the Nintendo DS. The original was released in 2004; the Nintendo DS Lite in 2006; the Nintendo DSi in 2009; the DSi XL in a point in 2010. New Super Mario Bros. (the original Super Mario Bros.'s remake) was released in 2006. Super Mario 64 DS was released in 2004. Mario Party DS was also released. Others include Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Yoshi's Island DS, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Anyways, yeah, a lot of handheld Mario have been released, especially recently.

Anyways, let's get this over with, shall we?

The gameplay is pretty simple. This game, like most early Mario games, is a simple side-scroller. What that means is that the screen shows a 2-D area and you moves left to right, right to left, bottom to top, or top to bottom, all while the screen moves around to keep you in the center. Games like this have a goal at the end, in most early Mario's: a flagpole. In this game, you get two goalposts with a tape moving up and down, allowing you to obtain bonus stars, which can lead to a bonus minigame in which you may gain up to eight lives. The scoring system allows you to go up to almost ten million points (9,999,990 to be exact). You go through eight worlds, fighting a boss at each one's end. Seemingly, all the world's are equal, but not so. Some have four levels, other have almost a dozen. There are also secret exits, which give you another level to play which you normally cannot play. For full completion, you must play all of the levels. The Dragon Coin sidequest also makes you unlock stuff.

The story is simple enough. Mario, Luigi, and Peach have apparently gone on vacation. Mario and Luigi unpack some stuff, then just fly off. They return, and Peach is gone. Yep, it is Bowser again. They have no clue where he is, so they search the island, level by level, until they find her. Along the way, you will meet Yoshi, a dinosaur that is tied much more closely to Mario and Luigi's lives than you would think. (Play Yoshi's Island to find out). They meet Bowser eventually, and another clash begins. Wait! That is just his kid, one of seven. Now even Bowser's kids are helping. They extend their search beyond the small Yoshi's Island to the Donut Plains, then the Vanilla Mountain, and so on and so forth, until they finally reach Bowser's Castle after beating all of his kids. Mario and Luigi go in, but will they come out? Will Peach still be alive? Your choice, as you ARE Mario or Luigi.

The graphics are decent. Unlike the other NES or SNES Mario games, these graphics aren't blocky in the slightest. There is virtually no lag at all. The colors are vibrant and colorful, they blend together beautifully. There are also many new enemies to encounter. As you may know, the usual enemies are Goombas, red/green Koopas, and Hammer Bros., correct? Well, there are some new ones here. There are yellow and blue Koopas and football players, among others. There are new items, the feather and P Balloon. There are many different environments. One level may be aquatic, the next may be in a cavern, the next on a bridge. You also have new actions to see, such as Yoshi eating Koopas and breathing fire or laying an egg that may hatch into a 1-UP. So great.

The sound is so-so. Yes, the music is new. However, it can get rather repetitive. Annoying repetitive, in fact. Nevertheless, each environment has its own music, and that music MAY change upon entering a different situation. It might take something like a boss or an item to do that, though. The sound comes through pretty clearly, though. There are also some new ones, such as the flying sound, the Yoshi squeal, or the sound of one of those football players running. Eventually, you'll find yourself trying to get that radio nearby, though. Anywho, that may take some time to actually happen; you're fine once you win.

It can take a while to win. However, there are shortcuts. Using said shortcuts, I can win in mere hours. Playing regularly may take you several days to a week. To finish all levels, it may take the rest of the month. To entirely finish, Dragon Coins and all, it can take several months to half a year, at most. It can take a while. After completing it, it is okay to replay it over, to give yourself some more challenges. On the other hand, you can try to get 9,999,990 points. Your choice.

OverallThat is your review of both of the games in this package. Admittedly, this should be released on a modern day system, but it likely won't happen. Anyways, if you can, get this. You will definitely enjoy this.